


The Words You've Told Me

by ghaskan



Category: Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Birthday, Bittersweet, Fluff, Gen, No Spoilers, POV First Person, and there's a fair amount of caps lock and exclamation marks if that's not your thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-02-22
Packaged: 2018-09-26 06:15:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9871112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghaskan/pseuds/ghaskan
Summary: It's the first time Nidai spends his birthday as a student of Hope's Peak Academy. Will his dream of having a birthday party be fulfilled at long last?





	

_When he was a child, his birthday was just yet another day. The nurses and doctors would wish him a happy birthday coated with politeness, but there was no cake for him to eat. He had been told time and time again that he would be lucky to live to see his teens. Considering that, the passage of time was painful, and his birthday cheer was trampled by the Grim Reaper’s heavy footsteps, as they drew closer and closer every year._

_Nonetheless, he wished for a birthday party. What was the point of prolonging his existence if he was to continue living on a limbo of mediocrity? But he was afraid, and so he let the status quo follow its due course, until…_

* * *

 

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

“GOOD MORNING!! It’s time to rise and shine!” my alarm clock yelled with its robotic voice. Not that it needed to, because I was already fully awake and ready to tackle this new, wonderful day!

My name is NIDAI NEKOMARU!! Never forget that name, even if you go to the depths of hell itself! I’m a first year student at Hope’s Peak Academy, a prestigious institution which has bestowed upon me the title of ‘Super High School Level Manager’. And today, the 22nd of February, is my birthday!

It was 5 AM, so I still had some time for myself before school. After a trip to the bathroom, I dressed up, and then took the time to eat the champion of all nutritious breakfasts: a generous serving of poultry, rice, and vegetables! I ate it with gusto (but never forgetting to chew at least thirty-two times!), then dashed to school, my place of choice for performing my morning warm-up. Doing one hundred laps, one hundred pushups and one hundred sit-ups is the optimal way for starting your day! Having barely broken a sweat, I arrived at my classroom 5 minutes ahead of schedule.

Although I have renounced the evils of sugar, I was ready to make an exception to celebrate the occasion. I was quite anxious to see what cake my classmates had prepared for me! You see, it has become a bit of a tradition among us students of the 77-B class to celebrate our birthdays with all due pomp and circumstance.

Since I was the first to arrive, I got to see all my classmates and our teacher come in, either one at a time or in small groups, and every time that happened I would yell “GOOD MORNING!”. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw them all wearing those adorable cat ears headbands! Strangely enough, not a single one of them wished me a happy birthday.

Our teacher, Yukizome-sensei, slammed her hands on her desk to catch our attention. She too wore cat ears, and if there was a time I ever saw someone who looked ready to hand out an announcement, it was then!

“Good morning, everyone!” Our class responded with varying degrees of enthusiasm. “As you’re probably aware, today is…”

I could barely contain my excitement, and I was practically rocking in my seat!

Yukizome-sensei clasped her hands in front of her chest. “Cat Day! I’m glad to see you’ve all dressed for the occasion.” She smiled at me as she continued, “Well, in one way or another, since some of you already look quite a bit like a cat!”

Feeling my heart sink in my chest, I offered her the most yellow smile I had ever mustered. Maybe I had been expecting too much… maybe things were better that way…

Classes started. I tried to pay attention, but my mind was filled with gray noise. Suddenly, an overpowering pain manifested in my stomach. UGH! NOT NOW! But it wanted to escape through my behind, and it wouldn’t wait. I had to let it out right away, so I jolted up from my seat. “YUKIZOME-SENSEI! CAN I GO TO THE BATHROOM?!”

“Of course, Nidai-kun—”

I would have preferred to let Yukizome-sensei finish what she was saying, but Nature was calling! Hard! As soon as I got her approval, I dashed to the bathroom almost as fast as the Super High School Level Runner. I sat on the toilet and took a deep breath. I had a tough one to push today, again… But I’ll spare you of the details.

After finishing my business, I jogged back to class. What I saw next was…

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NIDAI-KUN!”

INCREDIBLE!!

Confetti rained all over me, and party poppers and cheers alike greeted me back to the classroom. I grinned so hard that my facial muscles started to ache, and, before I knew it, tears and snot were streaming down my face.

“Thank you, everyone!” I managed to say with my cracked voice.

“Sorry that we didn’t wish you a happy birthday sooner, Nidai-kun,” Yukizome-sensei said as she tiptoed to place her hands on my shoulders. “I heard surprise parties are in vogue these days, so I wanted to try one out, and umm…”

“Since you always go to the bathroom in the morning, you’d be the perfect candidate for the experiment,” one of my classmates, Komaeda Nagito, finished the sentence for our teacher. “Aah, the hope that is born from the despair of thinking everyone forgot about your birthday truly is amazing!”

Everyone (myself included) offered him a blank stare and a moment of silence. Then, one by one, my classmates came to me to wish me a happy birthday, as well as to offer me a gift. Ah, the gifts! Coconuts, a Sand God's Storm Horn, a bag of Century Potpourri… In short, all things they knew I loved! I LOVE YOU, MY CLASSMATES!! I don’t think I’ve ever cried and smiled so much in a single day!

Hanamura’s gift was a little different from the others. You see, he is the Super High School Level Cook, so he baked me the most beautiful, delicious cake to ever grace this world. THANK YOU SO MUCH, HANAMURA! He told me that I could thank him later by doing “it” to him. Nidai Nekomaru always pays back the kindness he receives from others, so I shall do “it” to him, without fail, some other day.

Things start getting blurrier for me from there on, drunk as I was on happiness. However, I clearly remember the moment everyone sang me a happy birthday! I blew out the candles with a single breath! In fact, I almost sent the cake flying… But all is well when it ends well, and in the end we got to eat cake and party hard!

I would have never had such a memorable birthday party if I had never met you, Daisuke. After all you've done for me, the least I can do is to continue carrying on the torch you’ve passed on to me. I shall bear your feelings close to my heart, alongside the lessons you’ve taught me. Most importantly, I will never forget those words you’ve told me on my birthday all those years ago…

**Never give up, because dreams do come true!**

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed!
> 
> This was written with more feeling than technique, so excuses if it's not the easiest read. Nidai is my favourite character in anything ever so I wrote with my heart first and my brain second.
> 
> ANYWAY! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NIDAI NEKOMARU!!


End file.
